Ormara

To

Jivni

Detailed Report:

Sardar Taimur Hyat-KhanBioenvironmental Consultant

P.A.R.C.

Landsat Image 2000

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1 http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/930-1.pdf

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Ancient History: Two ancient Harappan era settlements have been found at Sutkagen dor (on Dasht River) and Sokhta Koh (astride Shadi River). The coastal sites are evidence of trade between Harappan and Sumerian cities as well as those of the Persian Gulf region, possibly from around 3000 BCE.General: The study area is classified as “Sub Tropical Coast Line” or “Arid Marine Region of Pakistan” (Ahmad 1964). Ahmad refers to this area’s climate as “Arid Marine Sub Tropical Coast Lands” sub divided as “Makran and Lasbella Coasts”. Koppen’s (1918, 1936) World Climate classification is BWhw or “Hot Desert Climate”. According to Holdridge (1947) it is “Tropical Desert Bush Formation”.Gwadar is at 0-300 meters above sea level, is dry arid hot. The oceanic influence keeps the temperature lower than that in the interior in summer and higher in winter. The mean temperature in the hottest month (June) remains between 31°C and 32°. The mean temperature in the coolest month (January) varies from 18°C to 19°C. The uniformity of temperature is a unique characteristic of the coastal region in Balochistan. Occasionally, winds moving down the Balochistan plateau bring brief cold spells, otherwise the winter is pleasant. In Gwadar, winter is shorter than summer. Although Gwadar is not a monsoon region it still receives light monsoon showers coming from Karachi. But in winter, Western Disturbance can cause heavy Showers. Annual rainfall is only 100mm (3 inches).

According to Tasnif and Snead (1964), Snead (1966) and Snead and Tasnif (1966) the Coastal vegetation of Lasbella is divided into six major land-form types identifiable from plant indicators as follows:

1. Low Dry Alluvial Plains: Capparis decidua (commonly known as kerda, kair, karir, kirir, karril, etc.) and Salvadora persica (Salt Bush, Toothbrush, Pilu/ Root bark is a tonic, stimulant and emmenagogue and used to relieve splenalgia. The stem bark is good for gastropathy. Leaves are antiscorbutic, diuretic, anthelmintic, astringent, expectorant and tonic. They are useful in asthma, bronchitis, cough, strangury, painful tumors, constipation, verminosis and haemorrhoids. Shoots and leaves are bitter and used in all types of poisons, cough and bronchitis. Fruits are sweet, acrid, bitter, thermogenic, aphrodisiac, emollient, stomachic, purgative and digestive. They are useful in constipation, flatulence and seminal weakness. Tender twigs are used as toothbrush. The extract of the root is said to relive the pain due to spleen troubles. Seed oil is applied on the skin in rheumatism).

Salvadora persica

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2. Riverine Tract: Tamarix aphylla (Salt cedar plants are spreading shrubs or small trees, 5-20 feet tall, with numerous slender branches and small, alternate, scale-like leaves. The pale, pink to white flowers are small, perfect and regular, and arranged in spike-like racemes. The distinct petals and sepals occur in fours or fives. The fruit is a capsule (Hitchcock and Cronquist 1961). Tamarix dioica (Ghaz, Khagal. As a herbal medicine it is used as a carminative, diuretic and for the treatment of hepatic and splenic inflammation. From the present study it is concluded that the crude extract of Tamarix dioica tree is significantly effective against two micro organisms (M. canis and A. flavis) and moderately effective against one micro organism (F. solani). Further studies arerequired to confirm its effectiveness as a topical antifungal agent.2) and Tamarix troupii (Tamarix indica) (A tall shrub or small sized tree, 2-6 (-8) m tall with reddish-brown bark, glabrous. Leaves pseudovaginate, sessile, ovate with deltoid base, amplexicaul or auriculate, younger imbricate, acute, 1-2 mm long, without coherent margins. Recemes both vernal and aestival (vernal usually simple, aestival, densely compound) 3-12 (-15) cm long, 3-4 (-5) mm broad. Rachis, minutely papillose or entirely glabrous. Bract triangular, acuminate, somewhat irregularly denticulate at the margin, sometimes slightly keeled, c. 1 mm long, pedicel shorter than bract, c. 0.5 mm long. Sepals 5, fused at the base, inner somewhat broader than the outer, outer more acute, ovate or trullate-ovate to somewhat orbicular, deeply denticulate at the apex, margin somewhat membranous, 0.75-1 mm long, c. 0.5 mm broad. Petals 5, free, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, obtuse 1-2 mm long, 0.75-1 mm broad. Stamens 5, filaments filiform, inserted in between the 10 lobes of the mesodiscine disc, insertion perihypodiscal, anthers somewhat unequal, apiculate. Styles 3, clavate, ovary somewhat bottle-shaped, trigonous, truncate at top. Capsule c. 6 mm long, conical, triangular3).

Tamarix aphylla, Tamarix dioica

3. Rocky Upland Pleistocene Hills: Commiphora mukul (C. Wightii) (Guggul, a resin from the guggul tree, has been used for centuries in India to treat a range of disorders. This resin has been used as part of India's traditional medicine called Ayurveda/ For years, it has been used for the treatment of arthritis). Modern research also found that guggul can also prevent heart attacks. It's active components, Z-guggulsterone and E-guggulsterone, have an

ability to lower both cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Specifically,

2 ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF TAMARIX DIOICA — ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF TAMARIX DIOICA — ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF TAMARIX DIOICA — ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF TAMARIX DIOICA — ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF TAMARIX DIOICA —Saifullah Khan , Gul Majid Khan , Abdur Rahman , Farid Khan , Faculty of Pharmacy, Gomal University and Gomal Medical College D.I. Khan, Pakistan.3 www.eFloras.org Flora of Pakistan.

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gugulipid lowers VLDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while simultaneously raising HDL cholesterol. This indicates Guggul's primary use for providing a protective effective against atherosclerosis. These effects are due to guggul's action on the liver and thyroid. The thyroid is stimulated to increase the body's metabolic rate, and the liver is stimulated to metabolize LDL cholesterol, effectively lowering the amount in the bloodstream.

Guggulsterones were also reported to have pronounced antioxidant activity, by protecting the important free radical scavenger enzyme SOD (superoxide dismutase), and keeping it in higher levels. SOD protects the heart by scavenging the destructive superoxide radicals and preventing oxidative damage to the heart muscle.

Also, various studies indicate guggul gum produced a marked reversal of the metabolic changes occurring in people with reduced blood supply to the heart (ischemia)),

Euphorbia caducifolia (A new 31-norcycloartane type triterpene,

cyclocaducinol, has been isolated from the latex of Euphorbia caducifolia. Its absolute structure was determined as (24R)-24-ethyl-31-norcycloart-20-en-3β-ol by the use of chemical and spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR. The known triterpenes euphol, tirucallol and cycloartenol have also been isolated as major constituents4

4. Saline Coastal Flats: Chenopods: Suaeda fruticos (Hypoglycemic effect5,

4 Cyclocaducinol, a cycloartane type triterpene from Euphorbia caducifolia

Nighat Afza, Abdul Qasim Khan, Abdul Malik, and Yasmeen Badar5 Hypoglycemic effect of Suaeda fruticosa in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Mouhsine Benwahhoud, Hassan Jouad, Mohamed Eddouks and Badiaa Lyoussi

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Salsola baryosma: Large, excessively branched, pale, hoary shrub, 90-120 cm tall which grows on common saline soils. It is a vermifuge and the ash is applied to itches. Several alkaloids and sterols have been isolated. The aqueous and the EToAc plant extracts show antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities6.

Haloxylon salicornicum and other halophytes.

Haloxylon salicornicum is a desert plant that contains several alkaloids. From the aerial parts a new piperidyl alkaloid, haloxynine, was isolated and characterized on the basis of mass spectrometry, 1H and 13C NMR. A GLC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 17 additional known alkaloids of which piperidine, halosaline, anabasine, hordenine, N-methyltyramine, haloxine and aldotripiperideine had been previously reported in this genus. Among the 18 identified alkaloids, ten alkaloids were recorded for the first time from this plant and the genus Haloxylon. Haloxynine, halosaline, haloxine, anabasine, and smipine figure as major alkaloids with a relative abundance of more than 5% of total alkaloids. Some of these alkaloids are known be strong agonists at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and it is thus likely that they serve as chemical defence compounds against insects and mammalian herbivores.7

6 Pharmacological Screening of Salsola baryosma M I Chaudhry 2006

7 Alkaloids of Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss. (Chenopodiaceae)EL-SHAZLY A. M. ; DORA G. ; WINK M. ;

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5. Sand Dunes: Ipomoea pes-caprae: (Beach Morning Glory or Goat's Foot (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is a common tropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is one of the most common and most widely distributed salt tolerant plants and provides one of the best known examples of oceanic dispersal. Its seeds float and are unaffected by salt water).

Heliotropium tuberculosum: The var. tuberculosum, although generally with narrower leaves, may in some cases exhibit leaves up to 10 mm broad (A. Rahman 25721; Sultanul Abedin 4251). From specimens seen of (Heliotropium tuberculosum), it appears that this taxon frequents coastal areas and is characterised by its short twisted stems and branches and small leaves. Insect galls are frequent on the branches. It is doubtful if the corky or membranous back of the nutlets (Jafri, 1966, p. 281) is of any taxonomic value8. Aerva persica (A. javnica variety bovei): Aerva bovei (Webb) Edgew. Aerva persica var. bovei (Webb) Chiov. Aerva pseudotomentosa Blatter & Hallberg Spikes more slender, often interrupted with oblong or globose lateral clusters, all spikes except the terminal frequently shortly cylindrical or oblong. Leaves linear to narrowly linear-oblong, or narrowly oblong-obovate, up to c. 6 mm wide, margins plane or involute, sometimes ± falcate-recurved. Outer tepals c. 2 mm long.Type: Arabia, Bove (lectotype). Distribution: Through much of the distribution of the species from the Indian desert westwards through Iran and Afghanistan to Palestine, Egypt and the Sahara, and south to Niger, the Sudan, Somalia and Arabia. The plate of var. bovei given in Fl. Iranica Lf. 91, Tab. 2 (1972), depicting Rech. 27461 from between Bela and Uthal, certainly does not agree with the concept of this variety which I have gained from the type, the specimens of Stocks, Edgeworth, Griffith etc. It appears to be var. javanica-possibly a male plant in view of the slender spikes—though as mentioned above, by no means all slender-spiked plants are male.Var. bovei certainly grades into var. javanica by intermediates, as demonstrated by a series of speciemens from E-5 Dera Ghazi Khan District: c. 8 miles from Kashmoor on way to Rajhan, Sultanul Abedin & Akbar Husain 9524-6,9543. These have narrow leaves, but all the spikes are elongate. Moquin would have included them in his concept of var. bovei (DC. Prodr. 13(2): 300, 1849), as an examination of the IDC microfiche of the De Candolle Herbarium indicates; but in Pakistan the clearest break in the series

8 www.eFloras.org Flora of Pakistan.

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occurs between “typical” Aerva javanica with broad leaves and stout, elongate spikes, and the “Ae. Pseudo-tomentosa” form with narrow leaves and short, interrupted spikes.9

6. Mangroves and Tidal lagoon: Rhizophora mucronat is the preferred mangrove wood for firewood and to make charcoal. It produces an even heat and is easy to split for firewood. It is also chipped and used in commercial paper and rayon production in Indonesia and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). Tannins and dyes are extracted from the bark; a black to chestnut dye is obtained from the leaves. Unlike some other mangrove trees, new growths from Rhizophora trees only emerge from branch tips and not the trunk. So they can be killed by excessive collection of branches for firewood or other uses. They are planted along coastal fish ponds to stabilise the banks. Traditional medicinal uses: It is used as an astringent and to treat angina, haemorrhaging (extracts from the seedlings in Indochina); diarrhoea (China, Japan): diabetes, dysentery, hematuria. A poultice of the leaves are used to relief armoured fish stings. Old leaves and roots are used during childbirth (Malay). Bark is used to treat blood in the urine (Burma)10.

Avicennia alba (A. marina) Avicennia (family Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae) A genus of small trees which have greyish, opposite leaves. The flowers are small and regular, the calyx and corolla imbricate, the ovary superior. The fruit is a roundish, bivalved capsule with 1 seed. There are 14 species, occurring on tropical coasts, mainly in mangrove forests at their ecological and geographical limits.11

Ceriops candollena.

Small to moderate-sized trees or shrubs with buttress of appressed stilt roots and pneumatophores; bark grey-brown. Leaves opposite decussate, closely borne towards the twig apices, petiolate, obovate-elliptic, entire, leathery and glabrous, free from black dots beneath; stipules lanceolate. Inflorescence of (2-) 4-many-flowered, subsessile to shortly pedunculate, axillary, condensed cymes.

9 www.eFloras.org Flora of Pakistan.10 http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/rhizophora%20mucronata.htm11http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Avicennia.html

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Flowers white, c. 1 cm or so long, perigynous, disc cupular, 10-12-sinuate, fleshy; bracteoles partially united into a cup-like structure with ovate lobes. Sepals 5 (-6), borne on a short hypanthium, ovate, acuminate, patent or reflexed in fruit, leathery. Petals as many as sepals, membranous, free or occasionally coherent at the base by hooked-hairy margins, truncate to emarginate and clavate appendaged or fringed at the tips. Stamens 10 (-12), borne in sinuations of the disc in antipetalous pairs; anthers dithecous, oblong or linear, obtuse-acuminate, shorter to longer than the filaments, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary tricarpellary, syncarpous, half inferior, projecting beyond the hypanthium as a fleshy cone, 3-loculed at least in the upper part, locules biovulate; style simple, thickened below; stigma obscurely trifid or simple. Fruit ovoid, unilocular, monospermous, coriaceous berry. Seeds viviparous, pendulous; embryo exalbuminous, radicle and hypocotyl angular, clavate and tapering to the apex.12

General Vegetation: Capparis aphylla, Periploca aphylla, Boucerosia, Tecoma undulata, Acan-

thodium spicatum, Prosopis spicigera, Withania coagulans, Zizyphus Jujuba, Salvadora oleoides, Calotropis procera, Caragona polyacantha, three kinds of Acacia, Leptadenia Spartium, Taverniera Nummularia, Physorhynchus brahuicus, and Alhagi camelorum. In low-lying parts where water is available Tamarix articulata and T. gallica are found. Here and there Euphorbia neritfolia and the dwarf-palm (Nannorhops Ritchieana) occur, the latter often in great quantities. The herbaceous vegetation is very scanty, consisting of such plants as Aerua javanica, Pluchea lanceolata, Fagonia arabica, Mimulus alatus, and Cassia obovata; near water, Eclipta erecta; and as weeds of cultivation, Solanum dulc- amara and Spergularia. Two species akin to Haloxylon, Suaeda vermi- culata and Salsola foetida, abound on saline soil. Panicum anlidotale is the most important grass,

Throughout Makran the staple food is dates. Great attention is paid to the cultivation and care of the date-tree, and the dates of Panjgur are declared by Arabs to excel those of Basra. Though all the trees belong to the species Phoenix doctylifera, they are distinguished locally into more than a hundred kinds, according to the weight, size, and quality of the fruit. All trees are known either as pedigree trees (nasabi) or non- pedigree trees (kuroch). Among the former, the best varieties are mozdati, d-e-dandan, haleni, begam jangi, and sabso. Fresh trees are raised from offsets; they produce fruit after three to eight years, and continue to do so for three generations. The young offsets must be carefully watered for the first year, and afterwards at intervals until their roots strike the moisture of the subsoil. The date season is divided into three principal periods: machosp, rang or kulont, and naen. In machosp (March) the artificial impregnation of the female date-spathes by the insertion of pollen-bearing twigs from the spathe of the male tree is effected. In the season of rang or kulont (June) the colour first appears on the fruit, and there is general rejoicing. The harvest (amen)

12 Ceriops Am., Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1:363. 1838. Abdul Ghafoor

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lasts from July to September, when men and cattle live on little else but dates. The fruit is preserved in various ways, the most common being by pressing and packing in palm-leaf baskets (laghati). Better kinds are mixed with expressed date-juice and preserved in earthen jars known as humb. Owing to the excessive quantity of dates in the diet of the people of Makran, night-blindness is common. The principal trees in these forests are Prosopis spicigera, Capparis aphylla, Tamarix indica, Tamarix arlicilata, Dalbergia Sissoo, Olea cuspidata, Pistadia khatnjak, and Acacia modesta.

Scattered xerophytic shrubs and trees, most of the year the vegetation is sparse. During monsoons thick grasses are reported in abundance. The Lasbela valley is a vast alluvial plain approximately 50 miles wide at the coast ans extends 80 miles inland. The height above sea level is generally 50 feet with two Mounatin Ranges, Mor and Hala rise to 1,000 to 3,000 feet on the Eastern and Western sides of the valley. The mountain bases form a large alluvial plain covered with a thin gravel layer with Pleistocene sand deposits. The Porali, Khantra and Windar Rivers and their tributaries are adding sediment. Bela, Uthal and Somiani are the major settlements while the desert parts of the plain have sparse population. Much fodder, cereal and vegetable crops can be grown but this varies with degree of flooding and amount of rainfall. Major crops are Jowar (Sorghum vulgare), ‘Mung’ Bean (Phaseolus aureus), ‘Patsan’ a fiber plant (Hibiscus cannabinus), Castor Oil ‘Arind’ (Ricinus communis), Urad (Vigna mungo), Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and Millet (Bajra Pennisetum glaucum). Fruit trees such as the Date Palm ‘Khajoor’ (Phoenix doctylifera), Mangoes (Mangifera indica) Black Plum, used for tannin (Syzgium cumini) and Guavas (Psidium guajava) are grown on a small scale, in folk medicine, extracts of roots, bark, and leaves are used to treat gastroenteritis, vomiting, diarrhoea, dysentery, wounds, ulcers, toothache, coughs, sore throat, inflamed gums, and a number of other conditions (Morton 1987). The inhabitants of non-agricultural areas are nomadic and pastoral with herds of camels, sheep and goats. Due to this most of the low scrub vegetation has been completely destroyed. Average rainfall is 5-9 inches with most during maonssons (june, July and August). During winters the extreme Western side of the valley gets one or two Cyclonic storms.

Climate: Solar Insolation: During summers, particularly April to June, solar insulation is intense at 180 – 200 Kcal.cm-1. Evapotranspiration: Annual evapotranspiration is 1750 mm (Zubenok, 1977).

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Rainfall: Rainfall is erratic and unpredictable since it arises from Eastern depressions originating from the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea or occasionally from Central India (Snead, 1966). Permanent weather stations at Jivni and Pasni can be contacted for complete data. Drought increase towards the West resulting in more hot and dry conditions in Pasni and Gawadar. Mean annual rainfall is 148.30 mm in Ormara, 131.60 mm in Pasni and 148.90 in Jivni mostly during wintersHumidity: Relative humidity along the coast is high throughout the year though it is higher in summer than winter. Lowest relative humidity occurs (49%) in December and January and the highest is during monsoons (88 – 90%). It is highest during mornings (5 am) and declines during the day till evening.

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Temperature: Diurnal and Annual temperature ranges are considerable and extreme. Winters are mild while summers are very hot.

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Wind: South-West or Westwardly winds predominate for most of the year resulting in salt and sand particles being carried from the beaches to the interior. This results in barchan type of Sand dunes (A barchan dune is an arc-shaped sand ridge, comprising well-sorted sand. This type of dune possesses two "horns" that face downwind, with the slip face (the downwind slope) at the angle of repose of sand, or approximately 32 degrees. The upwind side is packed by the wind, and stands at about 15 degrees. Simple barchan dunes may stretch from meters to a hundred meters or so between the tips of the horns from South-West to North-West direction.) During winters the wind reverses and the process of dune development consequently is also reversed resulting in deformation of shape.

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13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barchan

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Apart from South-East winds, other directions bring gales and dust storms, locally termed as ‘Shumal’. North-West winds of winters, locally termed as ‘Uttar’ often result in pneumonia being associated with low temperatures.

Aridity: Detailed analysis of climate charts (outdated) show that the precipitation curve underlies the temperature curve throughout the year except for winters in Ormara, Pasni and Jivni. This results in a short humid period which is compounded by high velocity winds and high temperatures in summers, resulting in increased evaporation. Less and irregular rainfall, intense insolation and heat and Global warming which leads to high evaporation all yield high aridity. The upper layer of soil remains dry except for a few days after rainfall. Winter rains were observed to form ponds in declivities and depressions and are reported to have been standing for over one month. High evaporation will lead to drying out. Rain Water Harvesting: Intervention of Surface Water Harvesting can be made effective by the following low-cost structure:

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Elaborate Surface Rainwater Harvesting Structures:Jivni Airport: WWII

Soils: Jivni Formation: Shelly and reefoid limestone, sandstone and conglomerate.Gawadar Formation: Soft and poorly consolidated mudstone with minor sandstone.FAO Soil Characterization: Lithosols-Regosols. In Baluchistan/ Makran (arid zone) the coastal soil is saline, in general, and unproductive. The decay of coastal halophytic flora forms the nutrients and organic matter; however, the saline soils have very little organic carbon that can serve as an energy source for soil mycoflora (Malik et al., 1980). The Makran Coast falls within Zone IX Dry Western Plateau - mountainous areas. Most soil found in humid climates in which soluble salts and minerals are leached out of the upper layers and are cemented or compacted at a lower level). Makran’s soil is of two types: alluvial soil and litho sols and rig sols. The valley of Dasht river in the western part of the district and the Kulanch valley in the north consist of alluvial soil. The mountainous area of the district is covered with litho sols and rig sols. Limestone, shale and sandstone are the main rocks involved in the formation of this area. The area is described as BWh under Arid or Desert with hot summers and mild winters. As such it can be suitable for growing Out of Season Vegetables like Southern Sindh. These vegetables will find a lucrative market up-country. Owing to small rainfall, the salt nature of the soil, and the physical conformation of the country, the shore is almost entirely desert, presenting a succession of arid clay plains impregnated with saline matter and

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intersected by watercourses. From these plains rise precipitous table hills of White Clay (Kaolin?).

The coast-line is deeply indented, but its most characteristic feature is the repeated occurrence of promontories and peninsulas of white clay cliffs, table-topped in form.

Makran Coastal Range

There are many uses for this natural product. Kaolin (white dirt) is used medically to treat diarrhea, dysentary, cholera, and is also used in paper making, paint, fiberglass, porcelains and ceramics, china, and toothpaste. Some of the most popular products made with kaolin (white dirt) are Kaopectate, Rolaids, Di-gel, Mylanta, and Maalox. White Dirt (kaolin) has also been used as a natural, chemical free shampoo. cosmetics Kaolin is used in ceramics, medicine, coated paper, as a food additive, in toothpaste, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs, and in cosmetics. It is generally the main component in porcelain.Kaolinite has also seen some use in organic farming, as a spray applied to crops to deter insect damage, and in the case of apples, to prevent sun scald.

Composition (Source of Nutrients?):SiO2% Al2O3% Fe2O3% TiO2% CaO% MgO% K2O% NaO% MnO%52±2 45±2 ≤0.5 ≤0.8 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.004

Kaolinite is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. Kaolinite clay occurs in abundance in soils that have formed from the chemical weathering of rocks in hot, moist climates

.Northern Song celadon porcelain, 10th century, China

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Soft-paste porcelain Swan tureen, 1752-6, Chelsea.

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 °C (2,192 °F) and 1,400 °C (2,552 °F). The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass and the mineral mullite within the fired body at these high temperatures.Porcelain is used to make table, kitchen, sanitary, and decorative wares; objects of fine art; and tiles. Its high resistance to the passage of electricity makes porcelain an excellent insulator. Dental porcelain is used to make false teeth, caps, crowns and veneers.Glazing. Unlike their lower-fired counterparts, porcelain wares do not need glazing to render them impermeable to liquids and for the most part are glazed for decorative purposes and to make them resistant to dirt and staining.

Porcelain insulator for medium high voltage

Disaster Management: The best known of the historical tsunamis in the region is the one generated by the great earthquake of November 28, 1945 off Pakistan's Makran Coast (Balochistan) in the Northern Arabian Sea. The destructive tsunami killed more than 4,000 people in Southern Pakistan but also caused great loss of life and devastation along the coasts of Western India, Iran, Oman and possibly elsewhere. Additionally, the on-going subduction of the two micro-plates has dragged tertiary marine sediments into an accretionary prism - thus forming the Makran coastal region, Thick sediments, that have accumulated along the deltaic coastlines from the erosion of the Himalayas, particularly along the eastern Sindh region near the Indus River delta, have the potential to fail and cause large underwater tsunamigenic slides. Even smaller magnitude earthquakes could trigger such underwater landslides. Finally, an earthquake similar to that of 1945 in the Makran zone of subduction, has the potential of generating a bookshelf type of failure within the compacted sediments - as that associated with the

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"silent" and slow 1992 Nicaragua earthquake - thus contributing to a more destructive tsunami. In conclusion, the Makran subduction zone has a relatively high potential for large tsunamigenic earthquakes. The earthquake is reported to have caused the eruption of a mud volcano a few miles off the Makran Coast of Pakistan (Wadia, 1981). The eruption formed four small islands. A large volume of gas emitted at one of these islands, is reported to have sent flames "hundreds of meters" into the sky (Times of India 1945; Mathur, S.M. "Physical Geology of India). Such mud volcanoes are not uncommon in the Sindh region of the Makran coast. Their presence indicates the existence of high petroleum deposits. They are known to discharge flammable gases such as methane, ethane and traces of other hydrocarbons. The observed flames resulted from emitted natural gas which The tsunami reached a maximum run up height of 13 m (40 feet) along the Makran coast. The waves destroyed fishing villages and caused great damage to port facilities. More than 4,000 people died from the combined effects of the earthquake and the tsunami, but most deaths were caused by the tsunami. The tsunami destroyed completely Khudi, a fishing village about 30 miles west of Karachi, killing its entire people. At Dabo Creek, 12 fishermen were swept out to sea.Elsewhere along the Makran coast there was considerable destruction and loss of life. Many people died at the towns of Pasni and Ormara but no details are available. Many more were washed out to sea. At Pasni, the waves destroyed government buildings, rest houses and postal and telegraph facilities. The tsunami was recorded at Gwadar, but there is no report on damages.The Makran Coastal Range (MCR) is a narrow belt of highly folded and densely faulted mountain ridges which parallel the present shoreline and extend for about 75 percent of the total coast length for about 800 km (500 mi) in both the Balochistan and Sindh Provinces. The steep mountains rise to an elevation of up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft). The coast is rugged with uplifted terraces, cliffs and headlands.

NASA Satellite photo of a section of the Makran rugged and tectonic coastline showing uplifted terraces, headlands, sandy beaches, mud flats, rocky cliffs, bays and deltas. Numerous mud volcanoes are present along the shores.Major rivers in Southern Pakistan contribute enormous amounts of sediments and turbidite deposits

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Beach erosion and energy dissipation        Tidal currents are a highly dynamic phenomenon that varies not only with the seasons of the year but also change throughout the years resulting in an ever changing geography in beaches. This beach transformation is known as beach erosion or beach evolution.

Furthermore, as the global warming problem starts to show its effects it is now known that within the next thirty years many near-to-shore populations will have severe problems due to the rise of the sea level, and there is a need for the development of land reclamation and beach erosion control methods in addition to the existing ones.         The currently in use methods for the control of beach erosion and land reclamation vary in price, complexity, size and impact on the shore. The can be broadly classified according to their stiffness as rigid and flexible or according to their capacity to absorb energy as energy absorbing and non-energy absorbing. Among the most common methods to control beach erosion are:

Vertical walls (rigid, non energy absorbing). Rubble mounds and sloping walls (rigid, energy absorbing). Grass rows (flexible, energy absorbing). Fences for sand trapping (flexible, energy absorbing).

Powerful waves and currents, infrequent but intense flash floods, erodible young sedimentary rocks, and strong tectonic uplift combine to make this one of the most active and dramatic coastal regions of the Earth. Other Interventions:1. Solar:

a. Active: Photovoltaic Arrays to produce electricity will prove to be a valuable intervention. This is all the more true for Hybrid Active/ Passive Solar combined with Wind Systems.

b. Passive: Presently the fish industry is using salt from sea water by filling in surface tanks and allowing evaporation. The process can be speeded up with 4 mm Plastic sheets (double) to increase heat. Secondly drinking water can be collected from the plastic as it can be designed to act as collectors.

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c. Solar Still:

2. Small Wind Mills:

Wind Pump: Wind Generator:3. Hydro Mulch Seeding:

4. Kitchen Gardens:a. Compost & Environment/ Predator Protected:

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5. Salt-Gradient, Solar Ponds: One Kg of salt can supply as much electricity and three times as much heat as a Kg of coal burned in a combustor. This results from varying salinity gradient given to a pond providing a vertical density difference which allows heat to be trapped and stores solar energy. Artificial Salt-Gradient, Solar Ponds provide thermal energy to:

Heat Buildings. Drive Industrial Processes. Generate Electricity. Desalt Water. Power Cooling Systems.

A 7,000 sq. m. Pond provides 35 KW in Summers and 15 KW in Winter, with a peak of 150 KW. Factors to Determine Effectiveness:

Availability of Low-Cost land, salt and water or saline water. Favorable climate conditions: Sunny days and high temperatures. Favorable ground conditions, soil impervious to heat and water and lack of

moving groundwater with no nearby drinking water source. Low price compared to other energy sources.

Saline Water

Evaporation PondSolar Gradient Pond

6. Surface & Rooftop Water Harvesting: Surface Water Harvesting: Mirpur Kahalaan, Haripur.

Roof-Top Water Harvesting National Center for Rural Development (NCRD) Islamabad.

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7. Municipal Solid & Liquid Waste Management/ Waste Water Gardens: There is tremendous scope for this intervention in all minor towns of the Makran Coast (Ormara, Pasni, Gawadar and Jivni). DG GDA (Gawadar Development Authority), Capt (R) Mohammad Ali states that he has the funds and desires to work with PARC.

8. Small Bio-Gas Plants for Poultry Droppings: There is ample scope for increasing the intervention of Poultry Farms and hatcheries as well as provision of small Alternate Energy Incubators to indigent families. A useful intervention is provision of small Bio-Gas plants to existing and all future Poultry farms. This would not only provide energy to the Operators but would also curtail environmental pollution from Poultry manure and allied spread of disease vectors. A valuable Bio-Fertilizer would be produced for Horticulture and Mushroom production.

9. Mushroom Kulla: Nutritional Food Security is of serious concern. With curtailed fish catches even the fisher folk are facing problems.

10. Earth Sheltered, Earthquake/ Tsunami Proof, Super Insulation Construction: This intervention is essential for the poor people living in reed mat huts and at the mercy of the elements. In the light of Global Warming it is all the more critical.

11. Micro Enterprises: A number of number of micro enterprises can be designed for successful implementation in order to provide Poverty Eradication in the area.

Conclusion: There is a lot of scope for improvement at relatively low-cost and in order to remove a sense of deprivation it is important to provide viable interventions as soon as possible.

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